In this week’s Under the covers (Nature revealed) blog, which features weekly interviews with the art team at Nature, Art Director Kelly Krause explains the thinking behind this week’s creative front cover choice on Direction-Selective Ganglion Cells (DSGCs).

Caption:

The motion-detecting cells of the retina, called direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs), have been known about and studied for more than half a century but their precise role in visual processing has remained unclear. Using a combination of genetic, anatomical and imaging techniques, Andrew Huberman and colleagues investigate the connections made by DSGCs in the mouse brain and find that they link specifically to neurons in the superficial layers of primary visual cortex. Inputs from several different DSGC types are combined to convey both directional and orientation information to the cortex. In addition, non-direction-tuned information from the retina is sent to deeper layers of cortex. This reveals that the mouse visual system contains several functionally distinct parallel pathways and that directional and orientation selectivity in the cortex may arise from the earliest stages of visual processing involving motion-detecting cells in the retina. Cover: Kelly Krause/Nature — Santiago Cornejo/Shutterstock

How motion-sensitive cells in the eye help the brain build the right picture.

From the Art Desk:

Art Director, Kelly Krause, explains:

“The original idea for this cover came from the authors, who sent along a concept sketch early in the process (below). As the paper deals with the role of direction-sensitive cells in the eye, I thought their idea of placing a compass in the center of an eye was an intuitive and powerful way to convey the main idea of the paper.

“Once we decided that we liked their concept, I set about building a photo illustration that would work well on a cover, taking things like colour, composition, and tone into consideration. The main image of the eye is from a stock site called Shutterstock. I then added elements that clearly conveyed direction, such as the compass. I was careful to select an image of the human eye that is close-up and on the abstract side, so that the viewer absorbs a sense of motion and direction without being  distracted by a particular human face.”

For additional behind the scenes commentary each week, check out Nature Graphics Tumblr and last week’s Under the Covers on microfluids.